


Returning to You

by CometEclipse



Series: Part of Your World [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cullenlingus, Established Relationship, F/M, Hot Springs & Onsen, Outdoor Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 15:54:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6963280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CometEclipse/pseuds/CometEclipse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ari'elle remained out on her mission of closing Rifts while Cullen is called back to Skyhold to complete Inquisitor business. She misses him desperately while he was away. When he finally returns to her, she has definite plans for their reunion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Returning to You

**Author's Note:**

> Ari'elle Lavellan and Inquisitor Cullen Rutherford are the main characters in my completed story based on the fairy tale The Little Mermaid, called Part of Your World!

“The Inquisitor!” The call rang out through the large grassy clearing in the middle of the Emerald Graves, where a semi-permanent camp had been set up. “The Inquisitor is returning!”

Ari’elle lowered her bow, her head whipping around to face the direction the lookout was calling from. There, galloping on his silver stallion, Cullen came riding back to her. He was bent low over Imperial’s neck, an intense concentration on his beloved face.

Ari’elle wasn’t sure what she did with her bow, and she really didn’t care. She ran out into the middle of camp, waving and calling out his name. She felt tears rise and she blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. Three weeks and three days. She hadn’t seen him in almost a month, and it had been far too long and far too lonely. Letters were meager compensation to having him with her.

She saw the exact moment he locked eyes on her. His whole demeanor changed. The almost unhappy fierceness dropped from his face, a smile as wide as hers spread a wave of warmth over his features. He altered Imperial’s course so that they were now headed towards her, and he showed no signs of slowing. 

As he drew closer, Cullen leaned over slightly and extended his arm out to her. Her heart leapt at the excitement, the love she felt, the anticipation, and she reached out to take his hand. 

Within seconds his warm, leather clad hand wrapped around hers firmly and yanked while she jumped at the same time. Practiced in such a move, Ari’elle flew through the air and landed on Imperial’s back without so much as a hitch. Ari’elle wrapped her arms tightly around Cullen’s waist, pressing herself to his back and squeezed him in a hug as tight as she could. The joy she felt could not be contained, and she threw her head back and laughed, the sound echoing behind them.

Ari’elle had not seen the other riders following Cullen, too focused on him. But Cassandra pulled to a stop, motioning for the rest of the group to halt as well. They had new recruits with them, and the obeyed her orders, but looked after the two love birds with undisguised curiosity. Everyone of course knew of Ari’elle and her abilities, and that she and Cullen were lovers, but she had been away from Skyhold and closing Rifts for almost seven months now. 

“Hold,” Cassandra called out in that stern voice of hers. “Leave them be.” A warm smile broke out over her warrior’s face, the deeply romantic nature of hers thrilling, “They deserve some private time together.”

She smiled as Cullen and Ari’elle disappeared into the deeper forest, before she turned back to her charges.

***

Ari’elle wordlessly led them further into the forest, towards a spot she had discovered while he had been meeting with important dignitaries at Skyhold. She let herself relax against his back, rubbing her face into the fur of his mantle, breathing in his familiar scent. Creators, it had been too long. Her fingers tightened into his ribs, holding him closer. 

He didn’t say anything, but she knew he felt the same urgency. He kept Imperial going at a rapid pace, only slowing when they reached the very dense vegetation that hid her secret spot. She dismounted from Imperial, staring up at Cullen. He already burned like she did, she could see it in the way his eyes flared with dark amber, the tenseness of his jaw, the absorbed way he watched her.

She resisted the urge to pull him down off Imperial and straight to her lips. She had had a lot of time to imagine his return, and she wanted to stick with her plan at least a little. Ari’elle slowly started to back to the opening, an inviting smile on her lips. “I will meet you inside,” her voice low, and she trailed her tongue along her _vallaslin_ , tasting the lines and getting a thrill from how his eyes locked on her lip. He just loved when she did that.

She spun and slipped through a small gap, removing pieces of clothing rapidly once she was inside. The air was steamy and hot, the area filled with flourishing plants from the hot springs bubbling up from underground. She had found it while wandering one night, and had instantly seen its potential. With a deep sigh, she slipped naked into the cloudy waters, the hot water lovely on slightly sore muscles. If Cullen had been riding hard for several days, which she fully believed he had been, he would adore this place. It was not a very large pool but it could probably fit a handful of qunari comfortably, and there were several levels, the lowest one far enough down she couldn’t reach the surface while standing on its bottom. 

She wadded to a spot where she could sit with only her shoulders above water, keeping her eyes trained on the entrance. Cullen finally pushed through, dropping his chest so he could duck beneath the branches. He straightened, surprise written on his face at the abrupt change in temperature and humidity. He looked around the small space for a moment before his eyes landed on her, a wide grin on her face. 

Ari’elle raised an arm from the water, holding her hand out to him. “Would you like your welcome back kiss now?” 

“Ari,” he shook his head, but his hands immediately went to the clasps of his mantle, disrobing as he stepped a little closer. “This was not what I had imagined happening when I returned, I admit,” he shrugged his mantle off and tossed it with her clothes, “but this is much better.”

Her lips twisted in a pleased curl, and she dropped her arm back into the water, appreciating as Cullen stripped for her. He tossed aside his outer clothes, leaving him in his shirt and pants. He smirked at where Ari’elle was leaning closer, her eyes intent on his hands. He slowly, purposefully, started to undo his buttons, keeping the open edges close together so she could only see a sliver of his wonderful skin. She pouted as he kept himself hidden, her breathing already starting to speed up.

His unhurried hands finally reached the bottom of his shirt, and he grasped the edges, suddenly shrugging and dropping the material away from his shoulders. Ari sighed appreciatively as his wonderful chest and stomach was displayed to the filtered sunlight. Her hands flexed, eager to touch the ridges, her mouth watered to taste. Cullen chuckled as he fully removed his shirt, casually rubbing the back of his neck and flexing his arm, just to show off for her. “Is this enough then?”

Ari’elle shook her head wildly, her curls stuck to her bare back and shoulders so it didn’t obscure her view as he planted his hands on his hips, flexing some more. “Cullen, if you don’t get in here soon, I will pull you in, clothed or not.”

He laughed again, that lopsided smile and the warmth of his amber eyes making her chest ache with her love. Why had she thought this was a good idea? She just wanted to be in his arms, kissing him already.

Cullen quickly bent and removed his shoes, tossing them to the side. Then, with none of studied seduction but with all his natural eroticism, he undid the laces of his trousers and pulled them down over his taut ass, revealing his half hard shaft and superb thighs. Ari’elle licked her lips, no longer able to contain herself. She pushed away from the ledge just as Cullen stepped into the water. 

She heard him sigh appreciatively at the temperature but she did not let him appreciate it. Instead of lingering, though, he reached out just as she got within arm’s length and he grabbed her around her waist and hauled her into his body. “Cullen,” she whispered before his mouth met hers. 

A torrent of mixed emotions filled her up and made it feel like she couldn’t breathe. She instead focused only on the velvety softness of his lips moving over hers, catching and tasting his lips. She opened her mouth immediately, and Cullen pushed his tongue inside, dancing along hers and relishing the pure sensations. Ari’elle wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself as close to his chest as she could, matching each stroke for stroke. 

Perhaps a tear or two leaked out of her tightly shut eyes, but she didn’t care. She was lost in the feel of Cullen’s rough palms as they moved over her back, the friction that shivered to her stomach at the back and forth brushing of his lips, the solidness of her love’s body after sleeping alone for so long. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding onto him in all the ways she could. 

Finally they broke apart, panting for breath. Cullen leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes dark with both desire and the intense emotions she knew were cascading through him. He felt deeply, powerfully, and she always felt like the luckiest woman in the world when he looked at her this way.

A small, tender smile on her lips, Ari’elle cupped his face, brushed her thumbs along his cheekbones. His stubble was longer than he usually let it get, and she saw weariness in his eyes. No doubt he had hated every minute of playing the diplomat, and he had probably pushed himself too hard to get back to her. “Oh Cullen. I love you.” She placed a small kiss on his scar, another on his lips. “I missed you dreadfully.” 

“I love you too, Ari.” He sighed heavily, “I hate to leave you. I wish you could come with me.” He frowned, worry now on his face. He ran one palm down her arm, interlocking their fingers together and raised her left hand from the water. “How is it?”

Ari’elle worried her lip, her brows drawn as confided in him. “It hurts a little more every time now. It is getting worse.” The Anchor was becoming stronger each time she closed a Rift, becoming a little more toxic to her as the year progressed. She hadn’t said anything to their friends, but she knew that they were all aware of it. She didn’t want to worry them, or Cullen, but she could never keep the truth from him.

There was a hint of panic in his eyes, but Cullen tried to hide it from her. He probably saw that she was starting to become scared as well. Instead, he lifted her palm to his lips and kissed the center. Reverently, he brushed his lips up each of her fingers, nipping at each tip lightly before kisses. Then he brushed down to her wrist and licked her pulse. Ari’elle’s heart jumped at the shivery sensation he evoked in her so easily.

He lifted her arm out of the water and slowly kissed up her arm. When he reached the inside of her elbow, he again licked the tender spot there, and this time he rolled his hips, brushing his cock against her core. Ari’elle gasped, the stab of heat chasing all her fear out of her mind. As was no doubt his intention.

Cullen continued to slowly rock into her as he made his way up to her neck. He licked up along her throat and detoured to her ear, nipping along the outer point. Ari’elle moaned greedily, her own hips pushing against the hardened length nestled between her thighs. She was quickly ascending into the haze of pure feeling, pushing aside everything else. She had Cullen back; right now that was all that mattered. 

Cullen knew her weak spots well, and he laved attention on her ears, her bottom lip where her _vallaslin_ he liked so much rested, her collarbones. Ari’elle threaded her hands through his hair, pressing his lips closer while she rocked along his shaft. He always angled his hips so that she only moved along his length, teasing both of them with the denial of sinking into her heat. 

Ari’elle kept her eyes closed as she strained to build her ecstasy, but it was too slow. She groaned in frustration; the water was just keeping things a tiny bit too slippery, the friction enough to torment but not to complete. Cullen knew what she wanted, though, and he spun in the water, his hands cupping her beneath her ass. With a move of pure strength, he lifted her out of the water and laid her back on the bank.

She gasped as the change in temperature shocked her, the cooler air tingling over her skin and pebbling her nipples. Her eyes locked with Cullen’s and she held out her arms, eager for him to follow over her. Instead he just shook his head, his hair slicked with moisture from where she had run her fingers through it. “Cullen? Aren’t you…”

“Not yet,” he huskily replied, and he licked up one breast, dragging his tongue across her nipple and flicking. Ari’elle gasped, her hands falling to the side, and she hazily watched as Cullen moved down to repeat the gesture at her belly button. “It has been too long since I have tasted you.” 

Ari’elle rocked her hips up, becoming wetter in a rush of anticipation. He was so good at this. Cullen lifted one of her knees and spread her thighs apart, eyes glittering darkly as he exposed her to his hungry eyes. “So pretty,” he growled, and then licked straight up her center. 

Ari’elle cried out, her hands flying to his head as he tasted her. He dragged the flat of his tongue up her slit slowly, groaning at her taste. He loved to pleasure her in such a way, and she loved that he loved it. Or something along those lines, she couldn’t think. He lifted his head, hungry eyes locking with hers. Ari’elle just whimpered, seeing the moisture on his lips, knowing he was going to do so much more. 

Cullen smirked and licked her wetness from his lips. “You are delicious, Ari.” He dipped back down and curled his tongue inside her, catching more. “Do you know how many meetings I only got through by imagining you spread on one of the tables, begging me to taste you?” Ari’elle groaned, his words leaving her dizzy. His sensual purr shivered all through her core, making her clench desperately at nothing. “It would make me so hard I couldn’t leave my seat.” He gently teased the tip of his tongue around her clit, not touching her, just pure torment. “It was just not the same, making myself come, my hand around my cock. I much prefer when you are doing it for me.”

She whimpered in agreement, picturing the heady sight from her memories. She had plenty of lonely nights with her own empty orgasms. But now that he was here, she didn’t want to think of them. “Cullen,” she whined, rocking her hips up. 

He knew what she wanted, and he obeyed. He dropped his face to her lower swollen lips and set into action. Quick brushes were matched with his broad tongue, gentle laps mixed with hard plunges. He spread her thighs further apart, wrapping his tongue around her clit and sucked on her gently. Ari’elle didn’t hold back her gasps and broken sounds, her teeth working her lower lip furiously as the tension in her stomach coiled tighter and tighter.

Cullen slipped one finger into her, growling at the way she clenched onto him. She could feel her orgasm approaching, and Cullen knew what to do. He found that sensitive spot inside, Ari’elle arching off the ground at the first brush. Then, with increasing speed, Cullen massaged it as he licked hard at her clit. Desperately Ari’elle rocked her hips as he drove her higher, working against the finger inside her and Cullen’s tongue and lips. 

Abruptly she reached her peak and she stiffened, crying out as stars swirled behind her eyes. Cullen kept up his motion, increasing in speed as she fluttered around his finger. He moaned as her release rushed through her, swallowing her delectable nectar that coated both of them.

Ari’elle sagged, panting as she trembled with the aftershocks still shivering through her body. Cullen gently pulled away, taking a moment to look over his love. Her brown curls were almost straight from the water, her eyes closed as she sucked in breaths. Her chest rose and fell rapidly; pretty pink tips still budded tight. He swallowed, feeling the demanding thrum of his blood beating in his cock. He looked back down at where she was still spread wide, and he licked his lips. Maker, he could do that to her again, twenty more times. But he desperate for her, needed to feel her clamped around him. To know that he was truly here. 

He splashed his face with water before he pulled Ari’elle closer to the edge. He grasped his shaft and touched it to her wetness, shuddering as the slick heat of her beckoned. With gritted determination, he coated himself and then Cullen slowly slid inside. Ari’elle stirred; sighing and fluttering open her lashes so she could smile languidly at him. She lazily rolled her hips as her warmth encased his aching flesh, encouraging him with soft little noises.

He seated himself, rolling his hips and groaning as the heat tightened in his gut. “Ari,” he prayed, and leaned down, touching his forehead to hers again. 

“Cullen,” she responded, exactly where he needed her to be. She slipped her arms around his shoulders, her eyes locked with his as he tenderly started to move. He could feel her heart beating in time with his, their breaths mingling as they stared into each other’s souls. This, this is what he missed. Making love to Ari’elle was the most beautiful thing he could imagine; connected, shared, and so full of love it almost hurt.

They kissed as he moved, their lips wordlessly communing. Their lovemaking was slower than their usual pace, but no less potent. Gentle scrapes of teeth along lips were matched with slow and deep thrusts. Ari’elle ran her hands down his back and cupped his ass, nails biting into his skin as she pulled him deeper. Cullen planted his elbows into the ground and cupped her face, his tongue moving in her mouth with the same rhythm he drove his shaft into her. 

The friction became too hot, too high, and Cullen’s orgasm slammed into him. His chest pressed to Ari’elle’s, and he called out her name as he spilled inside of her, grinding against her clit. Ari’elle followed him, her nails holding him inside her as she pulsed around him, her pleasure heightening his own. He shuddered and hung his head, pressing his face into her neck. Lightning scalded his veins as his hips flexed and released, feeling every ripple of her inner walls massaging his cock. 

Finally they were both still, only their chests moving as they caught their breath. Cullen’s body let out an almost audible creak, muscles and bones aching. He groaned as he pushed up. He wrapped his arms around Ari’elle, kissing at the smile flitting over her lips. “I think I like the way you welcome me back.” He lifted her and slid them both into the water, settling on a shelf and pulling her across his lap. The water felt amazing and he relaxed into it, his body blissed out and tired. 

Ari’elle snuggled closer to his chest, tucking her hand against his heart. “I do too. I just hope we don’t have to repeat it again soon.” 

Cullen nuzzled her curls, breathing in her forest scent. “No, my love, not for a long time.” He tilted her chin up so that he could kiss her thoroughly, “I promise.” Now that he was home again, he never wanted to leave her.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this ended up being more of a love story for these two, but I just couldn't help myself!


End file.
